Muscle exercising device

ABSTRACT

A muscle exercising device for exercising the muscles of the vagina, which device has a plurality of separated, flexible, inflatable bulbs that are interconnected and supported by a stem of connecting tubes. The muscular pressures in separate zones of the vagina muscles contract the bulbs causing a change in pressure in the bulbs that is detected by pressure detecting devices connected to the tubes. The pressure transducers or bulbs facilitate tactile cognizance and show the contraction pressures.

United States Patent 1191 Cole [ MUSCLE EXERCISING DEVICE [76] Inventor:Ned S. Cole, 770 Boiling Springs Tract, Mount Laguna, Calif.

' 22 Filed: July 21,1971

21 Appl. No.: 164,706

[52] US. Cl ..128/2 S, 128/79 [5 1] Int. Cl. r ..A6lb 5/00 [58] Field ofSearch... 128/2 R, 2 S, 344, 128/64, 349 B; 272/57 R [56] y I ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,541,520 2 1951 .Kegel "128/2 s 612,72410/1898 Hamilton"; ..l28/344 2,849,002 -8/l958 Oddo ..l28/349B [1113,726,273 [45] Apr. 10, 1973 2,474,776 10/1969 O'Brien ..128/2s PrimaryExaminerLawrence W. Trapp Attorney-Carl R. Brown et al.

[ ABSTRACT A muscle exercising device for exercising the muscles of thevagina, which device has a plurality of 1 separated, flexible,inflatable bulbs that are interconnected and supported by a stern ofconnecting tubes. The muscular pressures in separate zones of the vaginamuscles contract the bulbs causing a change in pressure in the bulbsthat is detected by pressure detecting devices connected to the tubes.The pressure transducers or bulbs facilitate tactile cognizance and showthe contraction pressures.

11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPM 01975 3 7,26, 3

v ED S. CQLE BY @W X: mm

ATTORNEYS MUSCLE EXERCISING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There areseveral known devices for measuring the tonus of the muscular system ofthe vagina, pelvis and adjacent areas and thus facilitate the exerciseof these muscles to improve their muscle tone and control and to correctby exercise therapy, weakness of these muscles resulting from disease orthe like. Such prior devices often use tubes that are inflated withinthe vagina and that function only to reflect a particular overallmovement of the muscles involved. Other devices employ a long tubularmember that may have partitioned sections. However these devices do notprovide a separated surface contact with the wall of the vagina and thusdo not give any sense of feeling or control by the person exercisingwith the device or mechanism. Thus only general movement of the musclesis possible and without selective muscle control.

It is therefore advantageous to have a device for exercising the vaginalmuscles at particularly selected cations along the wall of the vaginaand to provide a quick and easy means for determining the results of theexercise, in a manner that aids a person in the exercising procedure toachieve control of the muscles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an embodiment of this invention, a series orplurality of pressure transducers in the form of ball shaped, flexibleand inflatable bulbs are aligned on a central stem. The stem comprisesconnecting tubes that extend through the bulbs or transducers with eachbulb being separately ducted to a particular connecting tube in thestem. The tubes and bulbs are inflated and can then be inserted into thevagina. The muscles of the vagina contract on the bulbs, which changesthe air pressure in the bulbs that is reflected in the air pressure ineach of the bulbs and its respective connecting tube. The connectingtubes are connected to either visual or remote pressure indicatingdevices. Since the bulbs have a substantially circular shape, they onlymake physical or contact with the wall of the vagina at selectivelocations. Thus observing the compression of individual ones of thebulbs along with tactile cognizance of the bulbs, allows a person toexercise the vagina muscles in a meaningful fashion and also to achievemuscular control. The relative position of the bulbs in the vagina maybe selectively moved to achieve muscular exercise of the vagina musclesat different locations along the length of the device, and also willallow certain of the bulbs to be inflated or deflated to allow furthercontrol of separate areas of the muscles.

The indicating devices may comprise any known pressure indicating deviceor may comprise a duplicate of the bulbs and connecting tubes, tofacilitate a simplifled structure for observing the condition of thepressure within the bulbs during the exercising procedure.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved muscle exercising device for exercising the vaginal muscles.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improveddevice for providing improved muscle tone of the vagina muscles andthereby improving body health.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedexercising device for the vagina muscles, that allows the vagina musclesto be exercised independently from other portions of the vagina muscles.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedmuscle exercising device for the vagina muscles that allows the user tocontact only certain portions of the exercising device with the muscles,and to observe the contraction of the muscles by a relatively simple andinexpensive display device.

Other objects and many advantages of this invention will become moreapparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and anexamination of the drawing wherein like reference numerals designatelike parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2 withmeans for providing visual indication of pressure changes.

FIG. 4 is a view taken partly in cross section which shows a modifiedembodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the muscle exercising device 10 haspressure transducers in the form of inflatable, flexible bulbs 12, 14and 16. These bulbs are interconnected by a stem of connecting tubes 18that are inserted at one end into the bulb l2 and pass through thecentral portion of bulbs 14 and 16 with an end portion 22 on which isconnected an inflating device 50. Each of the connecting tubes isconnected to a particular transducer or inflatable bulb with duct 40connecting tube 26 to the interior volume 38 of bulb 12, with duct oropening 42 connecting the connecting tube 24 to the volume 44 of bulb l4and connecting tube 28 is connected by duct or opening 48 to the volume46 of the bulb 16. The inflatable device 50 comprises a normal air valvethat communicates with each of the connecting tubes. Any suitable airvalve 50 can be used for inflating the tubes and their respective bulbs,individually.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the tubes 24, 26, and 28 are connectedto respective pressure detecting devices 32, 34, and 36, which devicesdisplay the particular pressure in the respective connecting tubes andtheir inflated bulbs. The pressure indicating devices 32, 34 and 36 maycomprise borden tubes, mercury tubes, expandable gas bags, or any othersuitable pressure indicating devices.

In operation of the embodiment, the gas inflated bulbs 12, 14 and 16with the stem 18 are inserted into the vagina. The bulbs normally havesufficient diameter to contact the walls of the vagina to facilitatetactile cognizance. The user then contracts the vagina muscles in amanner to exert compressive forces on the bulbs increasing the airpressure in the bulbs, which is reflected in the pressure indicators 32,34 and 36 that show the pressure being exerted by the muscles on each ofthe bulbs individually. By such indications, the user can learn tocontract individual ones of the muscles. It should be recognized thatthe bulbs 12, 14 and 16 may be selectively inflated or their locationmay be changed by moving the exercising device 10 to different locationswithin the vagina. The bulbs would generally be made of any flexiblematerial that has only a slight expansion capability, but which materialis flexible and readilydeformable.

Referring to FIG. 4, the muscle exercising device is connected to asubstantially identical structure through the end connections 22 of therespective connecting tubes that form the stern for the expandablebulbs. The inflating device 50 inflates the bulbs and connecting tubesof each of the members through a single air valve connection for each ofthe connecting tubes.

In operation, expansion or contraction of bulbs 12, 14 and 16 cause aconcurrent contraction or expansion of the bulbs 58, 56 and 54 becauseof the respective pressures of the air in volumes 64, 62 and 60. Thisexpansion or contraction of bulbs 58, 56 and 54 visually shows the userwhich of the bulbs the user is exercising and to what extent. Thisembodiment allows relatively inexpensive embodiments of the invention tobe made and sold.

The device may be permanently filled with a gas such as air or the like,or the bulbs and stems may be inflated by the inflatable device 50 asdesired. The use of the three bulbs make it possible to squeeze thebulbs individually or in some degree of combination that is shown in theindicator devices. While three bulbs are shown, which are considered tobe an optimum arrangement, two bulbs or a greater number of bulbs mayalso be similarly employed.

Having described my invention, I now claim:

1. A device for exercising the vaginal muscles comprising,

a plurality of separated, flexible, inflatable bulbs being held inaligned and spaced positions for insertion into the vagina,

said bulbs being held in spaced position by a plurality of connectingtubes with each of said connecting tubes having an opening to only oneof said bulbs,

said connecting tubes have a cross sectional area substantially smallerthan the cross sectional area of said bulbs,

and means for being connected to said tubes for indicating changes inair pressure in each of said bulbs.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1 including,

means for separately inflating each of said plurality of inflatablebulbs.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said connecting tubes having a total diameter that is less than one halfof the diameter of each of said bulbs.

4. In a device as claimed in claim 1 including,

a second plurality of inflatable bulbs being held in aligned and spacedpositions by a second plurality of connecting tubes with each of saidsecond connecting tubes having an opening to only one of said secondplurality of inflatable bulbs,

and said second connecting tubes being connected to said connectingtubes, whereby changes in contraction or expansion of each of saidplurality of inflatable bulbs cause expansion of contraction in therespective ones of said second plurality of inflatable bulbs because ofthe air pressure relationship therebetween.

5. A device as claimed in claim 5 in which, said second plurality ofinflatable bulbs and said second plurality of connecting tubes havingsubstantially the same configuration as said plurality of inflatablebulbs and plurality of connecting tubes.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 in which,

said plurality of inflatable bulbs and said second plurality ofinflatable bulbs respectively comprise three inflatable bulbs,

and said bulbs are selectively inflatable.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said inflatable bulbs comprise readily deformable material.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said bulb having a molded ball shape in the non-inflated condition saidconnecting tubes extending in the form of a stem from the end bulb toand through the other bulbs with said opening in said connecting tubesin the respective bulb,

and each of said bulbs being sealed around said connecting tubes passingtherethrough with said bulbs being spaced from each other.

9. A device is claimed in claim 1 in which,

each of said bulbs having a molded circular configuration in thenon-inflated condition with substantially the same diameters.

10. In a device as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said bulbs comprising three ball shaped inflatable members.

1 1. In a device as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said bulbs consisting of three ball shaped inflatable members.

1. A device for exercising the vaginal muscles comprising, a pluralityof separated, flexible, inflatable bulbs being held in aligned andspaced positions for insertion into the vagina, said bulbs being held inspaced position by a plurality of connecting tubes with each of saidconnecting tubes having an opening to only one of said bulbs, saidconnecting tubes have a cross sectional area substantially smaller thanthe cross sectional area of said bulbs, and means for being connected tosaid tubes for indicating changes in air pressure in each of said bulbs.2. In a device as claimed in claim 1 including, means for separatelyinflating each of said plurality of inflatable bulbs.
 3. A device asclaimed in claim 1 in which, said connecting tubes having a totaldiameter that is less than one half of the diameter of each of saidbulbs.
 4. In a device as claimed in claim 1 including, a secondplurality of inflatable bulbs being held in aligned and spaced positionsby a second plurality of connecting tubes with each of said secondconnecting tubes having an opening to only one of said second pluralityof inflatable bulbs, and said second connecting tubes being connected tosaid connecting tubes, whereby changes in contraction or expansion ofeach of said plurality of inflatable bulbs cause expansion ofcontraction in the respective ones of said second plurality ofinflatable bulbs because of the air pressure relationship therebetween.5. A device as claimed in claim 5 in which, said second plurality ofinflatable bulbs and said second plurality of connecting tubes havingsubstantially the same configuration as said plurality of inflatablebulbs and plurality of connecting tubes.
 6. A device as claimed in claim5 in which, said plurality of inflatable bulbs and said second pluralityof inflatable bulbs respectively comprise three inflatable bulbs, andsaid bulbs are selectively inflatable.
 7. A device as claimed in claim 1in which, said inflatable bulbs comprise readily deformable material. 8.A device as claimed in claim 1 in which, said bulb having a molded ballshape in the non-inflated condition said connecting tubes extending inthe form of a stem from the end bulb to and through the other bulbs withsaid opening in said connecting tubes in the respective bulb, and eachof said bulbs being sealed around said connecting tubes passingtherethrough with said bulbs being spaced from each other.
 9. A deviceis claimed in claim 1 in which, each of said bulbs having a moldedcircular configuration in the non-inflated condition with substantiallythe same diameters.
 10. In a device as claimed in claim 1 in which, saidbulbs comprising three ball shaped inflatable members.
 11. In a deviceas claimed in claim 1 in which, said bulbs consisting of three ballshaped inflatable members.